House of Jade
The House of Jade (ヒスイの一族, Hisui no Ichizoku) is a Robin Hood-esque vigilante organization that is based in a bamboo forest in the Land of Grass. Their main aim is to achieve peace and equality by stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, and also the assassination of corrupt Kusagakure officials such as Jabashu Hitori, who has underground dealings with a trafficking organization. Background The House of Jade is formed by three sisters, Hisui, Kikue, and Yuriko. They are born in Kusagakure and grow up in a poor but relatively happy home until their father - a talented shinobi - is killed by Iwa invaders during the Third Shinobi War. Without his salary to support them, the family fall into deep poverty. Eventually, their mother, Yazura, resorts to selling her body to keep the family alive. Though the sisters are still young at the time and don't fully grasp what is happening, their mother's despair nonetheless has a large impact on them. The oldest of the three sisters, Hisui, takes it upon herself to look after her younger siblings, enrolling herself in the Kusagakure Ninja Academy. Tragically, she is rendered blind in an accident three years later, and is encouraged to choose another career. However, Hisui refuses, as she has seen the escalating violence outside (and inside) Kusagakure's walls, and is determined to protect her sisters, who have followed her example by becoming kunoichi. With her sisters' help, Hisui is able to complete and modify a genjutsu technique that their father had been working on before his death, the Mind's Eye Technique, which puts an illusion on her that convinces her mind that she can see, even though, physically, her eyes are destroyed. However, it has one major drawback, in that it only works so long as Kikue and Yuriko are within five meters proximity, because it takes the information of what she should be seeing directly from their minds and distorts it to fit her point of view. However, the sisters are determined not to fall as their parents did, and train together relentlessly until their dependence on each other is no longer a weakness, but rather their greatest advantage. Sadly, their misfortunes aren't over yet. Coming home from a successful training session only to discover their mother dead in her bedroom, the siblings see the last constant in their world shatter before their eyes. After the funeral, they receive a tip-off from their neighbor, Hanayo Ubanase, which leads them to their mother's murderer - Jabashu Hitori, one of her 'clients' and a high-profile figure in Kusagakure's politics. They attempt to have him arrested, but the tables quickly turned when Hisui is framed for a failed assassination attempt and captured, scheduled to be sent to Hōzuki Castle. Removed from her siblings, Hisui is left blind and helpless, unable to defend herself properly. However, the night before she is to be taken, Kikue and Yuriko break her out and the three siblings flee the village. For two years, they roam the countryside, evading Hunter-nin and preparing to one day return to Kusagakure and finally commit the crime they have been accused of. But a chance encounter with an old lady by the name of Saki and her young granddaughter Airi sets them on another path. They begin to gather followers from the surrounding villages, typically young women and girls who are sick of the inequity between the rich and poor and the treatment of women in the Land of Grass, holding secret meetings and eventually building a base camp in the depths of the supposedly 'haunted' bamboo forest. With help from Saki, the rebel movement gains traction and within two years since they first started gathering support, the siblings and a few of their followers make a strike on Kusagakure's "upper-class" suburban sector, stealing valuables and money and gifting them to poor families around the country. Though the authorities pursue them, they are defeated by the intricate web of illusions the siblings put up to keep the bamboo forest safe. Witnesses of this and subsequent 'attacks' report seeing only ghostly figures dressed in jade green cloaks and conical straw hats, giving the as-yet unnamed organization the moniker of the "House of Jade." Over time, the group gather more and more support, despite the Kusagakure shinobi's increasingly desperate attempts to catch them. Personality Due to the necessity of remaining close to each other for the Mind's Eye technique to work, Hisui, Kikue and Yuriko have very similar personalities, though in time, each form their own unique quirks. All three of them have calm and somewhat cool temperaments that make them appear older than they actually are, but there are also subtle undercurrents of compassion and kindness that are easy to see if one looks past their frosty exteriors. Though they are distrustful of men due to growing up without a responsible male role model and later due to the murder of their mother by one of her male 'clients,' the youngest sister, Yuriko, is willing to willing to give them a chance. This can be seen when she convinced her siblings to help the newest member of the House of Jade, Akira Kazue, save her teammates from Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi in their battle on the Tenchi Bridge Yuriko Yuriko is the youngest and most innocent of the three, having been sheltered from the worst aspects of their past by her older sisters. She is curious and childlike, often tilting her head to the side when curious or confused. However, after the sisters flee Kusagakure and form the House of Jade, she comes to dislike being treated as a child by Hisui and Kakue and begins to copy their cool demeanors in order to appear more mature. Kikue Kikue is the middle sister, and as a child she often doubts her self worth as she is neither the talented and mature Hisui or the cute and innocent Yuriko. For a while, she acts rebelliously, putting on a mask of confidence and superiority in an effort to make people see her as more than just the 'other sister,' however, she only succeeds in driving people away. Eventually though, Kikue learns to take solace in Hisui's dependence on her after the accident, and in the belief that no matter what other people believe, her sisters will always love and need her. Hisui Hisui is the oldest sister, and the most emotionally secure one. From a young age, she is aware of just how much her sisters depend on her to keep their home safe and liveable in the face of their mother's deteriorating mental state. This drives her to become fiercely over-protective of them. However, she soon realizes that threats and bulldozing through obstacles to get her way isn't always the answer, and learns to use her natural charisma to manipulate people into doing what she wants. Nevertheless, when she and her sisters begin to form their vigilante group, House of Jade, she finds that sometimes showing a little of her real self is an even more effective motivator for her followers than playing mind games. House of Jade Members When performing hit and run thieveries, all members are to remain completely silent. However, even within the safety of the base camp, the majority of the sibling's followers remain obedient and deferential towards the them, despite their young age. When Akira Kazue becomes a member after losing her memories and being taken in by Airi, another member, she notes that that all the members have a lot of respect for their mysterious leaders. Appearance Members of the House of Jade wear full length green cloaks over their normal clothes, which helps them to blend in amongst the bamboo stalks of their forest base, and incidentally contributes to their name and legend. They also wear conical straw hats and pale green veils to hide their faces.All members keep their hair to the same length and wear it in a ponytail when in costume, as it, along with the uniform, makes it difficult for witnesses to tell them apart, giving them a ghostlike aura of mystery. The three founders and leaders bear small, dark green, triangular marks under each eye, and some of their more avid admirers take to painting similar marks on their own cheeks, even people outside of the House of Jade. This later evolves into a triangle pointing up on top of a triangle pointing down, which becomes the mark of the House of Jade and a symbol of hope and equality for all people in the Land of Grass. Abilities All three of the sisters are talented in genjutsu, and are willing to teach it to any member of the House of Jade who wishes to learn. It is important that there are at least 10 members who are strong genjutsu users at all times, because that is the number required to sustain the genjutsu web that keeps the forest safe. Members also learn kenjutsu and the art of throwing knives, though they only fight in self defence (with the exception of specific targets like Jabashu Hitori). Status Part II An amnesic kunoichi washes up on the banks of the Nenten River which passes through the main base, and is taken in and healed by House of Jade member, Airi. Upon discovering that the girl cannot remember even her own name, Airi takes to calling her Shunka, meaning, "high flower" because of how tall she is and her unusual hair colour. 'Shunka' stays with the House of Jade for three months, not knowing that elsewhere her friends and teammates are searching frantically for her. During this time, she assists the House in the assassination of Jabashu Hitori, and the destruction of his human trafficking ring, ironically just missing Konohagakure's Team 8, who were on a diplomatic mission to Kusagakure at the same time. Shunka later runs into her former teammate, Naruto Uzumaki, but thanks to her memory loss doesn't recognize him. Naruto, however, very much recognizes her and is bewildered as to why she insists she does not know him. He tries to convince her to return to Konoha with the team, but ultimately fails as Yuriko appears, telling Shunka that she and her sisters wish to speak with her about her future in the House of Jade. After speaking with them, Shunka sits in a tree overlooking the Tenchi Bridge to contemplate, and happens to see the confrontation between Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi and Team Kakashi. The massive amount of chakra being emitted in the area attracts the attention of a number of other members of the House, including the three leaders. They gather in the trees, unnoticed under the genjutsu web. Upon seeing Naruto in danger, Shunka feels compelled to help him, despite Hisui's extreme reluctance to endanger the House. However, Yuriko, seeing how much this means to Shunka, convinces her siblings to join her in aiding the Konoha shinobi. Their combined genjutsu prowess and the abilities of Team Kakashi manage to drive off the two missing nin. After the battle is done, Naruto and Kakashi explain the full story and reveal that Shunka is actually their teammate, Akira Kazue, who had gone missing during an ANBU mission three months back. Akira, desperate to remember who she is, agrees to return to Konoha with them in order to have a Yamanaka retrieve her missing memories. Before leaving, she speaks with her friend, Airi, and the three leaders, thanking them for looking after her and saying that they will always be in her heart. She mentions her fear that the House is no longer safe now that Orochimaru and Kabuto have seen them, but Yuriko assures her that so long as the genjutsu web holds, the House of Jade will not be found. Akira and the House of Jade members do eventually meet again, on the battle field as they face off Madara. They do not wear the uniform, so that Kusagakure does not recognize them, but Akira still identifies them by their voices, and later faces. Trivia * Ironically, the main leader of the House of Jade is Hisui, who's name means "jade." Reference The image at the very top is from the movie, 'House of Flying Daggers' which was my original inspiration for this organization. It won't be permanent, it's just there until I figure out how to draw images online that don't look like the work of a five year old, because I'm OCD about making a profile without a picture. Go figure. Category:FINAL Category:Teams